Major MMR PR offensive planned

12th March 2009

The government is embarking on a major communications campaign to reassure parents that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe.

The move comes with measles cases in the UK at a 20-year high. The Department of Health is spending £400,000 on external agency support to promote MMR jabs and deal with parental concerns that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism and Crohn’s disease. Despite the link to autism being discredited, many parents are still not opting for MMR jabs for their children.